A FORMER antiques shop and video rental store is being given a new lease of life as a café after standing empty for 20 years.

Alfie’s on Watling Street in Leadgate, Consett, is being opened on Monday following a major refurbishment carried out by the new owner Jason Berry.

It is going to be run by his wife, Kelley Berry, while he works as an oil rigger, and has been named after their baby son Alfie.

The family has invested thousands of pounds in the project and hope it will create around five jobs, with possible more in the future.

The property, between a newsagent and hair salon, closed as an antiques shop in 1998 and was a video shop before then.

The cafe and takeaway will be open from 7.30am to 3.30pm everyday serving breakfasts, sandwiches and traditional dishes for lunch, including Sunday roast dinners available for delivery.

Mr Berry, 30, said: “It is good to have something opening up here as it has been shut for so long.

“There is nothing like this in Leadgate at the minute and it is nice for the village to have something new that hopefully works.”